Choosing a college can be daunting, especially if an applicant doesn’t know where to begin. There’s the type of college one wants to attend and deadlines to complete application forms and financial aid forms to fill out.

Last year, college campuses across the country had 2.1 million recent high school graduates walk through their doors – a number that likely will be matched in 2016. But a freshly printed campus ID isn’t the only plastic eager students will carry this fall.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for students starting college in the 2017-18 school year will launch online on Oct. 1, three months earlier than in previous years. Students must fill out the FAFSA to qualify for need-based financial aid as well as merit-based scholarships at som…